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Frost Mage DPS Beginner's Guide - Battle for Azeroth 8.3
By Malon
Last updated
2020/01/13 at 10:49 PM
View Changelog
Table of Contents
Quick Facts
Table of Contents
Guide Navigation
Looking to start playing a Frost Mage in World of Warcraft and just want simple advice? Look no further! In this guide, we will cover everything you need to start easily playing a Frost Mage in , without all the fuss of detailed guides Whether you're new to the spec, a casual achievement hunter, or a returning player looking to refamiliarize yourself with Frost in Battle for Azeroth, these easy guidelines, covering simple and effective talents, rotation, and gear setup, will get you into the action as easily as possible.
Please keep in mind that this page is meant to get beginner players started quickly, and does not contain much in the way of detailed explanations, mechanics, competitive options, gearing, simulation comparisons, or nuance. For more in-depth information, including all those optimizations and more, check out the complete Frost Mage Guide pages linked in the navigation on the left-hand side of the page.
If you need help leveling to 120 in Battle for Azeroth, check out our
leveling tips
.
Overview
Beginners
Azerite
Essences
NEW Corruptio̵̦͚̽̿n-̴̤̤̗͓̘̖̖̖̜̊̎̈́͗̀͗̅͂̌͑̚͠
Talent Builds
Rotation, Priority, and Abilities
Advanced Concepts
Stats
Gear
Consumables
Simulations
Correcting Mistakes
Mythic+
NEW Ny'alotha Tips
Macros & Addons
WeakAuras
Common Terms
About the Author
Malon has been throwing frostbolts at bad guys since 2005. He raids with <Emerald Omen> on Stormscale-EU, and he dreams of having a Mage trainer named after him. He would also like to get the Warlock class renamed to 'Fuzzy Cuddlebears'. He's not sure which is more realistic.
Malon is a moderator on the Mage Discord server,
Altered Time
.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ArcaneTactics
Website:
www.altered-time.com
Talents
This is a well rounded and one of the most commonly-used Frost Mage talent builds. The setup can handle almost anything, but you can find a more in-depth look at individual talent swaps and situational recommendations on the
Frost Mage Talent Guide
.
Rotation
This is a simple rotation for Frost Mages. More information using talent variations, cooldowns, and other advanced tips can be found
in the Frost Mage Rotation Guide
.
Icy Veins
and
Frozen Orb
on cooldown.
Use
Fingers of Frost
procs with
Ice Lance
.
Cast
Frostbolt
for
Brain Freeze
procs.
To use Brain Freeze, finish your Frostbolt cast and immediately press
Flurry
then
Ice Lance
.
Continue to cast Frostbolt, Flurry, and Ice Lance to consume Brain Freeze and Fingers of Frost. If they proc together, prioritize Brain Freeze.
Stats Priority and Gear
Frost Mages primarily favor Haste and Mastery. Find out more about how stats work, including sample stat weights and scaling plots in the
Stats Guide
, or get an overview of gear to look for from dungeons and raids in the
Frost Mage Gear Guide
.
Critical Strike (to 33.33%)
Haste
Mastery
Versatility
Critical Strike (after 33.33%)
This is not a best-in-slot, but a list of gear that is
individually
best for that slot, ignoring other pieces. It also assumes that all items are of the same item level; if you loot a piece of a much higher level, it will usually be worth using regardless of stats.
Slot
Name
Zone
Boss
Weapon
Crackling Jade Kilij
King's Rest
Aka'ali the Conqueror
Off-hand
Rattling Jar of Eyes
Tol Dagor
The Sand Queen
Head
Grasping Crown of the Deep
Siege of Boralus
Viq'Goth
Shoulders
Amice of the Returned
Waycrest Manor
Gorak Tul
Cloak
Raal's Bib
Waycrest Manor
Raal the Gluttonous
Chest
Blood-Drenched Robes
The Underrot
Unbound Abomination
Wrist
Wraps of Everliving Fealty
Atal'Dazar
Vol'kaal
Hands
Handwraps of Oscillating Polarity
Temple of Sethraliss
Galvazzt
Waist
Sailcloth Waistband
Freehold
Captain Eudora
Legs
Darklight Legwarmers
The Underrot
Cragmaw the Infested
Feet
Sandswept Sandals
Temple of Sethraliss
Adderis
Ring
Band of the Roving Scalawag
Siege of Boralus
Chopper Redhook
Ring
Band of the Ancient Dredger
Siege of Boralus
Hadal Darkfathom
Trinket
Lady Waycrest's Music Box
Waycrest Manor
Lord Waycrest
Trinket
Conch of Dark Whispers
Shrine of the Storm
Vol'zith the Whisperer
Slot
Name
Zone
Boss
Weapon
Wand of Zealous Purification
Atal'Dazar
Priestess Alun'za
Off-hand
Rattling Jar of Eyes
Tol Dagor
The Sand Queen
Head
Matriarch's Shadowveil
World boss
Ji'arak
Shoulders
Amice of the Rending Abyss
World boss
Warbringer Yenajz
Cloak
Drape of the Azerothian Champion
Reputation
Magni Bronzebeard
Chest
Raider's Shrouding Thobe
World boss
Dunegorger Kraulok
Wrist
Wristwraps of Warped Reality
World boss
Warbringer Yenajz
Hands
Zo'bal Spirit Gloves
/
Eternal Flamekeeper's Handwraps
Reputation
Provisioner Lija
/
Quartermaster Alcorn
Waist
Cord of Flowing Sands
World boss
Dunegorger Kraulok
Legs
Wailing Terror Leggings
World boss
T'zane
Feet
Sandals of Rustling Rage
World boss
Azurethos
Ring
Band of Intense Gravitation
World boss
Warbringer Yenajz
Ring
Band of the Ancient Dredger
Siege of Boralus
Hadal Darkfathom
Trinket
Drust-Runed Icicle
World boss
Hailstone Construct
Trinket
Doom's Hatred
World boss
The Lion's Roar
Enhancements
Only two gear slots can be enchanted with Battle for Azeroth gameplay enchants: rings and weapons. There is also glove enchants which can assist with professions, and Enchanters can use wrist enchants that interact with your Hearthstone.
Weapon:
Enchant Weapon - Machinist's Brilliance
or
Enchant Weapon - Torrent of Elements
Rings:
Enchant Ring - Accord of Critical Strike
,
Enchant Ring - Pact of Critical Strike
or
Enchant Ring - Seal of Critical Strike
Gems:
Leviathan's Eye of Intellect
/
Kraken's Eye of Intellect
(cheaper) and
Deadly Lava Lazuli
/
Deadly Amberblaze
or
Quick Sand Spinel
/
Quick Owlseye
.
Azerite Armor
Azerite is a new type of gear in Battle for Azeroth. All helms, shoulders and chest pieces, rather than having secondary stats, have a selection of traits that you can choose between. As Frost,
Flash Freeze
is by far the strongest Azerite trait, and you should aim to have it on as many pieces of gear as possible.
Tunnel of Ice
(against a single target only) and
Packed Ice
are also powerful spec traits. You can learn more about Azerite in the new
Frost Mage Azerite Guide
.
Some pre-raid Azerite armor to look for includes:
Head:
Shoulders:
Chest:
Azerite Essences
Added in Patch 8.2, Essences are a new system of power progression for the Heart of Azeroth, which allows you to mix and match several effects to increase your damage. These can be active or passive. For the full guide, see our
Frost Mage Essences
page.
Players can have one Major Essence and up to two Minor Essences equipped at once. The best options for Frost Mages are:
Single target
Major:
Condensed Life-Force
Minor:
Memory of Lucid Dreams
* and
Essence of the Focusing Iris
AoE
Major:
Blood of the Enemy
Minor: Corruption
Patch 8.3 adds a new gear mechanic, replacing Titanforging, called
Corruption
. All new gear from Season 4 content has a chance to roll a positive affix, with a corresponding amont of Corruption stat that triggers negative effects.
Although most Corrupted items will have a random affix,
weapons from the new raid
, Ny'alotha, have a pre-generated effect. For Mages, these weapons are the
Eyestalk of Il'gynoth
(grants cooldown recovery on proc) and
Shgla'yos, Astral Malignity
(your spells may fire a direct damage bolt at a nearby target, with stacking damage).
There are many different Corruption affixes, but some to aim for as a Frost Mage will be:
Infinite Stars
Masterful
(especially for the
No Ice Lance build
)
Expedient
Twilight Devastation
Our Frost Mage guides are always updated with the latest information from in-game experience, simulations, and logs; make sure to check our changelog to this page, by clicking on
View Changelog
at the top of the page. If you are interested in more in-depth Frost Mage guides for Visions of N'zoth, Battle for Azeroth's third and final content patch, make sure to browse the
Navigation Bar
below, and our list of
Related Guides
just beneath the
Table of Contents
.
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Azerite
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